In Case You Were Wondering, Jamie Foxx Is Not Here For The #OscarsSoWhite Movement

Movies & TV

According Jamie Foxx, black actors should not be focusing on whether or not the #OscarsSoWhite, and do one simple thing: #ActBetter. Speaking at the American Black Film Festival Awards on Sunday (Feb. 21), Foxx offered some banter in reaction to the controversy surrounding the lack of nominations for actors of color at this year’s Academy Awards. According to Daily Mail, his joke included mentions of fellow Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier.

“All these Oscar talks, I don’t even trip about that. I mean, what’s the big deal? I was sitting at home with my Oscar, like ‘What’s all the hubbub?’” he said. “My friend said, “Are you mad?’ ‘Um, kind of, but not really.’ I started calling Denzel [Washington], and we just Instagrammed our Oscars together.”

Turning his speech in a more serious direction, Foxx noted that Poitier’s experience in 1963 left him with far less opportunities to grace the screen.

“I was with Sidney Poitier just a couple weeks ago, and in 1963 all he asked for was an opportunity to act,” Foxx said. “That’s all we have to do, opportunity. If you turn the camera on and say ‘OK . . . win an award . . . and action,’ we’ll all have taken, like, 10 steps back. It’s all about the art. Who cares about anything else?”

Jamie Foxx also reportedly made fun of Will Smith’s Nigerian accent during his role in the film Concussion. Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith are holding steady with their boycott of the Oscars on Sunday (Feb. 28).